Winston Peters

Winston Peters (11 April 1945-) was Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from 16 December 1996 to 14 August 1998, succeeding Don McKinnon and preceding Wyatt Creech. He was the founder and leader of the populist New Zealand First party.

Biography
Winston Peters was born in Whangarei, New Zealand on 11 April 1945 to a father of Maori descent and a mother of Scottish descent. His brothers Ian Peters and Jim Peters were also MPs. Peters graduated from the University of Auckland to become a lawyer, and he attempted to run for Parliament in 1975 as a New Zealand National Party candidate for Northern Maori. In 1979, he was elected MP for Hunua, serving until 1981; he served as MP for Tauranga from 1984 to 2005. From 1990 to 1991, he served as Minister of Maori Affairs, and he went on to serve as Treasurer from 1996 to 1998, Deputy Prime Minister from 1996 to 1998, and Foreign Minister from 2005 to 2008. Peters also founded the populist New Zealand First party during his political career, and he formed coalition governments with both the New Zealand National Party and the New Zealand Labor Party.